Chemo Brain!!

So many things going on at once!!

Yes it is actually a thing and I am currently having first hand experience of this!!  

I only started to notice it once I had finished my treatment and was back home starting to get back into my so called 'normal' life.  Having to run the home again, get ready for Christmas, my daughters dancing activities, school things, etc!  It took me weeks to remember the time of one of my daughters dance lessons, I had to keep asking people over and over again!  I am fine in the mornings but by mid afternoon my mind becomes foggy and I have difffculty understanding things or making decisions.  I have to say to my husband, 'talk to me about it again in the morning as I can't take it in now.'

One of the symptoms of this is that sometimes I cannot get the right word out for something! For example the other day I was trying to say 'buffet' and I actually said 'barbecue'!  I now use the word 'thingy' a lot!  My brain seems to get stuck and I just cant get the message from it to my mouth to verbalise the word I'm thinking!!

Memory loss is another symptom, for example me and my sister ordered our daughters the same dress from the internet and I even handed the money over to her but, the next day when I saw her I said 'We need to order those dresses for the girls', to which she replied, 'Anna, we did it last night and you even gave me the money!'  This was one of the first times this happened and before I had Leukaemia I prided myself on my brilliant memory!!

This is actually well known by other cancer patients, I have spoken to a few and luckily we can laugh about it.  However, at the same time its a little worrying as so far I've managed to get away with it, there might be a time when my forgetfulness causes some damage!  Now I check my diary several times a day, ask others around me to keep reminding me of things and write lots of lists!  I am hopeful that in time this will improve!!

My life is full of post it notes!

Here is a link where you can find more info
http://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/treating/chemotherapy/side-effects-of-chemotherapy/chemo-brain.html